Falls Risk in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Limited Effectiveness of Diabetes Risk Assessment Tools in Seniors’ Facility Residents

“…For example, previous studies have shown that an HbA 1c test will identify less people with diabetes in comparison with an OGTT [37,42]. Our observation that a small (o5%) proportion of participants had an HbA 1c level of 6.5% or higher would suggest that the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes in this senior population is much lower than expected from other population-based studies [5,11,12]. Furthermore, the observed HbA 1c range in this group of seniors without diagnosed or treated diabetes was 4.7% to 7.5%.…”

“…When population-based studies have included the consideration of blood glucose levels, it appears that one in three people is living with unrecognized or undiagnosed diabetes [4,10,11]. Undetected diabetes in seniors can have serious implications for management because of the higher risk of falls, urinary incontinence, and hospitalizations associated with this disease [1,[11][12][13][14][15]. Furthermore, the economic burden associated with a case of undetected diabetes is estimated to be 8 times that of a person with prediabetes [16].…”

Diabetes, arthritis, urinary incontinence, poor self‐rated health, higher body mass index and lower handgrip strength are associated with falls among community‐dwelling middle‐aged and older adults: Pooled analyses from two cross‐sectional Malaysian datasets

“…23 Increased vulnerability to falls occurs in older adults with diabetes as a result of hypoglycemia from medications, autonomic neuropathy, peripheral sensory neuropathy and visual impairment. 24 The gradual loss of sensation and joint position sense are most apparent in the ankles and feet. As a consequence, impaired movement increases the risk of falls, especially when walking on irregular surfaces.…”

Consensus Statement By The American Association Of Clinical Endocrinologists And American College Of Endocrinology On The Comprehensive Type 2 Diabetes Management Algorithm – 2016 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“…After nutrition, physical activity is the main component in weight loss and maintenance programs. Regular physical exercise-both aerobic exercise and strength training-improves glucose control, lipid levels, and BP; decreases the risk of falls and fractures; and improves functional capacity and sense of well-being (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24). In Look AHEAD, which had a weekly goal of ≥175 minutes per week of moderately intense activity, minutes of physical activity were significantly associated with weight loss, suggesting that those who were more active lost more weight (3).…”